Are YOU My Alice?
by hometownbar
Summary: Peter is just a little Dream who wants so survive. He wants an Alice to dream of him. What happens when he finds his Alices are not so innocent?...this AU will get gory. Beware.
1. It begins

"_H-hello…?"_ a tiny voice echoed in the bleak, black space with seemingly no end. _"Wh-where am I? Where is my dreamer?"_

The little Dream's blue eyes darted back and forth franticly. _"I-I don't want to disappear like this! How can I make people dream of me?"_

The little Dream paced and paced, thinking hard about his predicament. He scratched his blonde hair, tucked at the red ribbon that hung loosely around his neck, and searched his little green sailor suit. During his hunt he felt something in his pocket. A stack of immaculate white cards the size of his hand was pulled out.

The little Dream smiled at an idea. _"I know. I'll let the humans into me and _they'll___make my world_." He took the first card. _"They can't be just anyone, though. They have to be good and innocent. Like Alice in Wonderland."_

He had no recollection as to how he knew of that story, but it gave him another idea.

"_My world is Wonderland. I need an Alice." _

The card began to stain red. It was a spade with the face of a young man inside. His name was written beneath in leaky red letters.

"_Are you my Alice, Mr. Ivan Braginski?"_


	2. The First Alice

She came home again with bruises on her arms. She always came home with new ones. Ivan hated it. He had tried to walk her home before but he couldn't save her from those men. He couldn't save his own sister! She had argued that it was okay and he didn't need to try to help her- he should protect their youngest sister. If he tried anything against those men he'd be hurt and she'd be targeted. He couldn't have that. He wished he could be stronger.

"_I can help you." _

Ivan blinked. He was in a dark place with seemingly no end. "Where…who…"

"_You're here in my dream world Wonderland! With me! Call me Peter. I like that nam_e." a little boy popped out of nowhere, scaring the young man.

"Wh…why am I here?"

"_You said you wished to be stronger. I can help you, but you have to do something for me."_

Ivan eyed the child warily. "I don't make deals with strange children."

"_So you don't want to protect your sisters?" _

"I do." The young man frowned sadly. "I'm weak because I have no courage…but you said it yourself - this is a dream world."

"_Dreams hold magic; the more times it is dreamed the more it gains. I can give you courage."_ Peter grinned widely. _"I'll grant your wish if you just dream of me and help fill this world."_

Ivan looked around at the bleak darkness. That was all? Dream of the kid and brighten the nothingness of that plain. Sounded easy enough, however there had to be something else.

"_I promise that is all I want."_ Peter giggled. _"Don't look so surprised, mister. I'm a dream, this is my realm. I can read your mind."_

"So…" Ivan said slowly. "That's all?"

"_Yep!" _

"No catch?"

"_Making Wonderland pretty is the catch."_

"Seriously?"

"_Cereally."_

Ivan sighed as he watched Peter giggle excitedly. "Alright. Deal."

"_Yay! I won't disappear!"_ the little Dream cheered. _"You're my Alice!"_

"Your…what?"

"_Bye-bye!"_

Ivan woke with a start. He had fallen asleep in a wooden rocking chair with his little sister Natalia snoozing against his chest. For a long moment he forgot what he had dreamed, but his eye caught sight of a silky red ribbon between his fingers. He had only seen that object in one place. Around Peter's throat. It wasn't just an idle dream of hopeful imagination.

As promised, Ivan opened his mind to Peter every night. He filled the dark "Wonderland" with his small village. Sunflowers sprouted from every garden. The people he imagined were as nice and friendly as he wished they could be in real life. It was a perfect world.

Holding up to his end of the deal, Peter used his gained magic on Ivan. At first, the latter didn't feel a difference. However, as time went on, he didn't fear dark alleys or sideways glances from the wrong crowd. He struck up the nerve to even spit at one when they whistled at his older sister Katyusha.

Ivan started training. He was naturally large so if he built up some muscle he'd be intimidating. If he had useable, strong muscle his family would never be messed with again.

"_You got big~!"_ Peter admired his Alice as he hung from one of Ivan's thick arms.

"Thanks to you, Peter."

"_Ha-ha! I always keep my promises!"_ Peter's smiling ace melted suddenly. He heard though Ivan's unconscious ears a panicked cry. _"Your sisters are being harassed again."_

"What?" Ivan looked around the bright replica of his village. "Where? Who is harassing them?"

Peter looked sad. He had promised his Alice strength to protect his sisters, but he felt like very thing was about to go awry. _"It's nothing they can't handle."_

Ivan snarled. "What? You little-! Let me out of here! I have to protect them!"

"_I-I can't. You'll do something bad!"_

"I'll darken Wonderland if you don't let me go."

Peter frowned. _"I can't."_

The large mortal glared at the dream. His dark amaranthine eyes seemed to blaze with hate and anger. Slowly, the grass beneath their feet died. The sky grew cloudy. Peter broke the stare to wheel about wildly in shock.

"_No! Don't do that, Mr. Alice!"_ he was sobbing now. _"Please! You don't understand!"_

"I understand perfectly, Peter. You had planned to trap me here under false pretenses. You had never planned to keep your promise." Ivan growled lowly. Lightning crackled behind him. A strong wind bellowed through the streets.

"_No, no, no_…" Peter clenched his fists. _"Fine. Leave. And don't you ever come back!"_ the child shoved Ivan's middle with remarkable strength.

Ivan jumped up as he woke in the real world. His bed, nothing but a pile of blankets on the floor, was empty. Usually Natalia would sneak in and snuggle against his side, and Katyusha would follow suit.

The dark night was quiet for the first few seconds. Ivan even contemplated whether or not the Dream had lied to get a rise out of him. Finally he heard Katyusha call out in panic. They were outside.

Not even stopping to pull on his boots or coat, the young man raced to the alley beside their home. It was a frigid night with the first snow of winter falling to the dirty ground. Backed into a corner, his only family shivered in the chill. A two man team was approaching them with knives.

"Aww~. Would you look at this? She has a younger sister. She's so beautiful." One man purred in a sickly sweet tone.

"I call dibs." The other one grinned.

Ivan brought back his fist and roared. "Leave them alone!"

The men looked back only to see a large fist rush at them. They just barely dodged it.

"You stay away!" he yelled at them. In his belly a raging inferno grew hotter and hotter. "Before I make you!"

"Ha!" one snorted. "Two against one. That's hardly fair."

"You're way out of your league, here, kid." The other snickered. "You see these knives? They haven't been sharpened recently so they'll hurt like Hell!" he lunged forward, slicing Ivan across the chest.

Choking in agony, the young man fell to the ground. The pain sucked away all his air, and blinded him. Natalia broke away from Katyusha to kneel by her brother.

"Brother! Brother, are you okay? Get up, please!" her sobbing six year old voice elicited chuckles from the assailants.

"Isn't that cute?"

"She looks like an angel."

"Remember. I have dibs."

Ivan forced his eyes to focus. Natalia was shaking his shoulder; crystalline tears were cascading down her porcelain pink cheeks. Behind her was the scumbag who had called "dibs" on her. He was reaching for her tattered, threadbare, blue dress. In anger and disgust, Ivan groped around for something useful. His fingers touched a cold metal object. Without checking to see what it was, he swung it at the man.

A sickening crack echoed in the alley. The man's body collapsed like a rag doll; his face was looking behind him.

Ivan eyed the corpse in disbelief. Had he really, just so easily, killed a man? The blood coming from the man's nose, mouth, and ears; and the odd kink in his neck said so.

The cadaver's friend was staring in shock and horror. "Y-You killed him…my best friend…You bastard! You killed him!"

Ivan was able to push Natalia aside just as the other assailant threw himself onto his stinging chest. The knife was poised to stab his heart. Using what he had just murdered with, Ivan held back the man's hand and glinting knife. Ivan was much stronger. He was able to push him off and into the brick wall adjacent to them.

"Run!" he roared to his sisters.

They were frozen to the ground in complete and utter terror.

The man peeled himself away from the wall and tried to attack the prone females. Ivan raced after him. The knife nearly met Katyusha's head when the pipe Ivan still had in his grasp hit the man's midsection.

He tumbled to the ground and tried to crawl away. His arm was wrapped around his broken ribs. The pipe sailed through the air and landed square on his back. Ivan saw red as he beat the man bloody. He kept swinging even after he had died.

No one was to harm Ivan's sisters. No one. Anyone who tried had to die.

"I-Ivan! Ivan, stop." Katyusha sobbed. "Please-he's dead now. You can stop…IVAN!"

Ivan's pipe hit the mangled corpse one last time. The flesh was steaming in the cold air. The fresh snow surrounding them was wet and red. "He won't…hut you anymore. No one will hurt you."

He turned around to his sisters. Blood splattered his shirt front, face, hair, and arms. His side eyes were wild with glee, his smile was deranged.

"I won't let them hurt you. I will always protect my dear sisters."

Natalia gazed at her bloodied brother. She had idolized him as a calm and caring man. This person in front of her was not her brother. She was pretty sure he wasn't even human. He was a red demon.

"You understand that I love you, right?" he purred. The rough pad of his thumb caressed Natalia's soft cheek to wipe away a tear. She could feel the hot sticky blood smear across her skin in his thumb's wake.

Hesitantly, she nodded.

In the months that followed, many of the villagers were horrified with what Ivan had done. But soon their horror was pacified when he explained it was defense and momentary insanity. Life resumed to normal. However, the men who usually harassed Katyusha back off. Two years went by in bliss.

Suddenly the assailants came after Katyusha and Natalia again. They believed that without two years of practice Ivan could be taken down. They were horribly wrong.

The whole lot of them were found by morning mangled, bloody, broken, and dead.

Everything went downhill fast. Whoever would look at the Braginski girls the wrong way-even accidentally-were dead men. Soon it carried over to the gossiping women. Innocent travelers, too. And the village was too afraid to do anting to stop him.

Natalia hated it when she saw the rusted steel pipe by the front door drip with glistening blood. She hated and feared the red demon her brother had become. She feared he'd kill her and Katyusha if they even so much as seemed like dangers to themselves.

Sometimes she saw him by his bed clutching a shiny red ribbon and muttering to himself. He talked about a little boy named Peter and a dream land he dubbed Wonderland. He wanted to go there again and apologize to Peter. He said he wanted more power to destroy all the dangers to his sisters. He had completely lost his mind.

"Brother…" Katyusha coaxed gently. "D-dinner's ready if you want some."

Ivan looked up from his incoherent mutterings. "Kat… I would…like that. Is it Borscht?"

"Y-yes. Y-you're favorite."

"Thank you, sister."

Then the two entered the kitchen they found Natalia at the pot stirring the thick soup. She whirled around. He eyes were wide and startled.

"Natalia," Ivan greeted. "How nice of you to stir the Borscht so it doesn't burn."

"Y-yes. How nice." Katyusha murmured. "Will you help me put it into bowls?"

"Let me, Katyusha." Ivan insisted. "I don't want you two to scald yourselves."

"O-okay…"

Natalia hurried to her older sister's side. They went into the front room. Katyusha checked to see if Ivan was listening. Then she whispered harshly to the young girl.

"What were you really doing?"

"I…love brother but he …scares me. I …"

"What did you do, Natalia?"

"Don't eat the Borscht, sister."

"Katyusha. Natalia." Ivan called. "Come sit and eat with me."

Natalia locked her navy blue eyes with Katyusha's lighter royal blue eyes. "Let Ivan eat first, like usual, then excuse yourself for something-anything. I'll follow. We'll leave."

"B-but…he'll catch us…"

"He won't. Not right away." I…hate it, but I've made a plan. This is the only way to help him."

"Sisters? Are you alright?" the man's voice was becoming worried.

"Sorry, Ivan. I-I'm just drawing on the window glass with N-Natalia." Katyusha called. "We're coming."

Around the small dining table, the small family sat down in the creaking chairs. Ivan smiled. Katyusha and Natalia nervously smiled back.

"Won't you have some?" Ivan asked just before a spoonful of soup touched his lips.

"Oh, we're just waiting to see if it is still too hot." Katyusha said smoothly. Tears glistened in her eyes.

"We don't want to get burned." Natalia added.

The oblivious murderer smirked. "Of course. I shall try it first." He popped in his spoonful. "Mmm! Perfect. You did well, Katyusha."

The eldest sister was trembling. Her resolve seemed to be diminishing. "T-thank you, b-brother…"she watched with pursed lips as he downed a few more gulps. "U-uh, I'll go find b-bread. We should h-have that bread the baker gave us." She stood up.

"I'll help you, sister." Natalia stood as well. "Brother, you don't need to trouble yourself. We'll be back soon."

"Alright." Ivan slurped up some more Borscht.

The women walked into the kitchen slowly. Katyusha was crying silently. Natalia wiped her wet eyes as she crawled under the counter for the pre-prepared coats. As they opened the back door they heard a horrible hacking noise. Ivan stood and his chair tumbled to the floor. He stumbled into the kitchen. His eyes were wild; his mouth was dripping with blood, and bits of vegetables.

"We're so sorry, Ivan." Katyusha sobbed.

"It was…it was you?"

"We're sorry." Natalia pulled her sister out of the house. They fled into the street where the entire village-or what was left of it- stood waiting.

"Is he coming?" asked the mayor.

"Yes." Natalia said quietly. For an eight year old she held herself rather well in this situation.

"I see…" came the half choked voice of Ivan. "The village…made…you poison me."

His pipe dragged in the snow behind him. He coughed and hacked wetly, drenching his chest and scarf with sticky black-red liquid.

"They…threatened you…I see, I see!...I'll," his calm wide eyes darkened. "I'll kill…Them all…for you, sisters!"

"Please, brother, no! We don't want this!" Katyusha cried. Her tears were freezing to her lovely face.

"But…" Ivan raised the well-used pipe. "I'm doing this…for you…my only family…I have to protect you-"

"From what?" challenged the older woman. "The thugs? They're all dead. They were all buried in nailed caskets! I know I'm not supposed to have pity for those who attacked me but…what you did to punish them was wrong! A-And all those innocent people…You're not the brother I raised and grew up with."

"Sister…how can you…say that?" his crazy eyes darted to Natalia. She looked away.

"Ivan Braginski!" bellowed the mayo. "For your sins, we-the people of Fort Heta-sentence you to death."

Through a ragged veil of pale hair, Ivan glared at the man. The huntsmen of the village raised their guns.

"You will all die…before I ….stop protecting my…beloved sisters…" he made a mad dash into the forest to escape the red hot bullets that flew at him from the barrels of the many rifles.

"After him!"

The remaining villagers plunged into the wooded area. Dogs howled hungrily at their heels. Natalia left her sister's side to race after him as well. She was scared for him as much as she was of him. He was still her brother, possessed by a demon or not.

Ivan loped through the dead brush and snow mounds expertly. He felt his insides churn with betrayal and poison. Anger boiled deep in his lower belly. How could they? All he wanted was to keep them safe.

Stepping over a branch, he failed to see the hole half-hidden by snow. Pain flared up his leg as it twisted unnaturally. Suddenly he was falling down the slope. He tumbled head over heels, doing summersaults unceremoniously before slamming into the sharp roots of an upturned tree.

His wasn't happening. No, it couldn't be. Ivan's eye lids began to close. The cold around him, as well as the agony and turbulent emotions were fading. His fingertips felt warm. Was this death?

In the small sliver of time that the realm beyond touched ours, Peter was able to step into the snow. He had not aged a day. _"You're a failed Alice." _He said in lamentation.

"I-I…tried…"

Peter grinned. _"You did well. Sleep now."_

Ivan was so tired. He let the grip on the ribbon in his hand loosen. His body slumped against the roots. The last breath he released was slow and drawn out.

The villagers were on the slope above him staring in horror. Natalia pushed her way to the front and screamed. One large stake-like root was sticking straight through her brother's chest. It dripped with hot blood.

She ran down to his cooling body sobbing and screaming. "Ivan! Brother! I'm so sorry! Can you hear me?" she held the sides of his face. Crystalline tears cascaded down her flushed porcelain cheeks. "I'm so sorry! I love you, brother, I love you!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a boy's shimmering form pluck the red ribbon from her large, late brother's hand and slip back into the dream realm. With Ivan's soul set free from his body by the Grim Reaper, the two realms were no longer connected.

So ended the first chapter of the little Dream's search for his Alice. If it weren't for the murderous red path left in his wake, no one would have known this spade had ever existed.


	3. The Second Alice

"It's beautiful," a woman said with a smile.

"Thank you." An aristocratic seeming man swept his fingers across the ebony and ivory keys. The wondrous music filled the gilded concert hall.

"You should play it at a Benefit."

The music halted. "I wish. It would make those stuffy nobles smile for once. I want everyone to be as happy as I am when I am with you. Maybe my music can do some good."

"Roderich…" the woman's gorgeous dress faded and aged into a tattered shapeless cloth.

"Elizabeta!" Roderich flew out of the bench. The shiny hall began to crumble. His swallow tail suit started to thin out like moths were eating it.

"That can never happen-"

A little boy in a green sailor suit cut off Elizabeta's morose speech. _"Shut it, Lady! He can make people happy!"_

The man stared at the child. "Who are you?"

"_Peter! I'm a Dream!"_

"What are you talking about?"

Peter turned around and a little village appeared in place of the crumbling concert hall. The little Dream had worked very hard to undo the damage inflicted on Wonderland by his first, very wrathful Alice. It didn't have all of its former luster but that would soon change when he gained more magic.

"_I just told you, Mister. You know…I can help you with your wish. You want to make people happy with what makes you happy."_

"Yes," Roderich conceded. "However, I cannot play in real life. I don't have the money to buy a piano and if I did my hands are too clumsy to play a simple tune."

"I can help you with that. Dream of me and I'll use my magic to fix your hands."

"I am a realistic man; I do not believe you." Roderich turned away. He was met with the wide chest of a tall man.

"My apologies, comrade." The man waved.

"No, it's my fault."

The man grinned. His odd amaranthine eyes glinted friendlily. He was then pulled away by two very beautiful women. His face was familiar to Roderich. He felt as if he had seen it somewhere before. The paper, maybe?

Peter followed Roderich's gaze. He stared sadly at the tall man laughing with his sisters. He wanted to remember his failed Alice the way he had been before he was corrupted. Before the tree roots trapped his body like a savage cage.

The blue Ace of Hearts in his hand was a new hope. When the flowing script had appeared, the Dream's heart was fluttering. He couldn't stay in the past; he had to go on.

"_Mister," _Peter called.

Roderich jumped. He had been admiring the scenic village. "Oh. Sorry."

"_It's okay! Mister, it wouldn't hurt for you to dream of me. I don't cost anything and I can give you a rest from the world as well as fix your hands."_

The man frowned.

"_Please? Please, Mister?"_ Peter clasped his hands together.

Roderich couldn't say no to a child, especially when it didn't cost him any money. His neighbor's children asking for past was a different story. "Alright,"

"_Yay!"_ Peter cheered. He almost cried in delight. _"I have a new Alice."_

"Excuse me?"

The Dream was too busy celebrating to notice._ "A new Alice! A new Alice!" _

"I am a man. That is just rude." Roderich pouted.

When Roderich woke in his little apartment, he felt well rested. He hadn't had a good night sleep in months. He almost didn't want to get up. However, Elizabeta, who slept at his side, stirred.

"Mmm…Good mornin'," she mumbled. The brunette slipped out of bed to get ready for work after kissing her boyfriend's forehead.

Having lost his warm bed partner, Roderich got up as well. "Good morning," his feet touched the icy and rough wood floor. When he trudged to the bathroom to brush his teeth, he noticed Elizabeta giving him a strange look.

He dismissed it as he brushed his teeth. The mirror was cloudy at the edges and had a crack running up the side. As usual, Roderich traced the crack until it branched towards the center. That was when he noticed his blue eyes were brighter than usual. Normally they were a deep navy blue, now they were crystalline sapphire. He scrambled to get his glasses on. Nope, it was not some trick; his irises had changed hues overnight.

They were the exact color of the sky or Peter's bright eyes.

"Peter…" he mumbled. "…he was…real?"

"Who was, honey?" Elizabeta asked as she tied her apron around her waist.

"No one, love," Roderich said dismissively. "It was only a Dream."

Roderich immediately noticed a change after a few nights of Dreaming of Wonderland. His hands did not shake as much. He could easily twirl pens, pencils, and batons. The manager of his place of work noticed as well.

Giovanni was a tall, muscular man who didn't seem like the type to own a music store. His Italian roots, however, made him love the fine arts. "You're getting pretty fancy with your hands, Roddy." He complimented one day.

"Thank you, sir."

"Say, would you like to mess around with the old piano in the back? You did say once that you love pianos. Also it's nearly closing time anyway."

"Sure, sir. Thank you."

Roderich was shaking when he sat on the hard bench. The piano was older with chirping paint and a few scratches. However, to Roderich it looked like it had been constructed by God. He sat at the bench and touched the rusty ivory and ebony keys gently. Slowly he pressed in a few. The notes trembled in the air beautifully. Chords upon chords of heavenly notes filled the back room. Roderich's heart soared.

Giovanni poked his head into that back room, his jaw was slack. "Holy crapola…"

Roderich was promoted on the spot. Instead of taking inventory and manning the cash register, the Austrian was set on the floor playing a shiny blue grand piano. Needless to say the sore got a lot more customers. Giovanni helped his employee make a record.

With the money Roderich gained from playing the piano, he planned a special lunch with his girlfriend and best friend. He brought them to the most expensive rooftop restaurant and even bought their clothes so they felt like they would fit in. everyone who knew Roderich knew he was a total miser. So if he was spending so much money, it had to be for a special occasion.

Elizabeta looked absolutely celestial in her silver dress. Her naturally wavy hair cascaded down her shoulders and curled regally at the small of her back. If Roderich didn't' know her, he'd say she was some sort of magical being heat stole his heart on sight.

Gilbert, Roderich's childhood friend and dare-say his brother figure, fidgeted in his swallow tail suit. His snowing hair was combed back away from his forehead and he seemed to hate it. Despite his discomfort, he joked, laughed, and congratulated his friend on his success.

"Soon you'll play for that moody prince of ours. Van Dyk will love your songs and then you'll move into the castle – bringing the awesome me, of course- and grow fat." Gilbert snickered imagining he stuffy man being as round as a melon. "You won't be able to reach the keys with your big belly!"

Roderich rolled his eyes. "Like that would ever happen."

Elizabeta, who had been quietly sipping her wine, sighed. "Roderich, I have to tell you something…"

Gilbert's smile faded. "Liz…"

"Wait a second," Roderich fumbled with the pocket of his white suit. His bright blue eyes glittered in a manner not unlike a certain Dream's. "I have something very important to ask you."

"Roderich, no…"

The musician got down on one knee and offered a black velvet case the size of his palm. "I have been saving up for a long time for a ring that would be suitable for such a beautiful woman. Elizabeta, you stole my heart. I would be lost without you. You are my muse. You are my happiness. Will you marry me?"

The restaurant hushed and all eyes were on the trio. Roderich opened the case. The silver ring had three glittering diamonds, all princess cut, set into a row. Elizabeta lowered her eyes; her full bottom lip was caught between her teeth. Gilbert reached over and patted her shoulder.

"Roderich…" she said finally. The man's faltering smile widened. "No. I can't marry you. You deserve someone better than me. Someone who won't…"

Roderich's fragile heart sank and shattered when he saw the woman reach back and take Gilbert's hand. They exchanged a meaningful glance. "You're _cheating_ on me?" his voice was barely a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Roderich, but," the brunette tried to keep a stiff upper lip. "You didn't satisfy all my needs; you were always working. Gil, on the other hand, was always there. I'm truly sorry, but I cannot marry you." She stood up, bringing the snowy haired man with her, and stalked out of sight.

The restaurant erupted into low murmurs of shock and disapproval. Roderich stood stiffly. He held the ring case tightly in his fist. His eyes stared blankly at the chairs that once held his unfaithful girlfriend and his backstabbing best friend. They had betrayed him. There was nothing good in the world; it was all a lie.

Peter didn't like how the music warped in Wonderland. Roderich was sitting at his grand piano and was playing heavy, horrid notes that sounded like death and sorrow.

"_What's wrong, Mister Alice?"_ the Dream asked tentatively.

"My muse has left me. She betrayed me." He hissed.

"_D-don't be sad, Mister Alice! Everything will be okay."_

"No, Peter. She was my happiness. Without her, nothing matters." His slender fingers slammed down on the keys.

Peter jumped at the cacophonous, thundering note. The sky opened up and rain fell heavily down on Wonderland.

"_S-stop it! Your songs are making people happy. I-isn't that what you wished for?"_

Cold blue eyes caught Peter in their gaze. "That happiness stemmed from her. There is nothing good to play about.

Peter frowned, tears beaded his eyes. _"Fine. I don't want a Sorry Sally, I want an Animated Alice! Get out!"_

Roderich bolted out of bed. It was cold and too big without Elizabeta by his side.

Roderich shocked everyone when his songs turned sour. They were dark and depressing but were so much more popular. The city's suicide rate skyrocketed and the youth always wore black as if morning a death that was soon to come. Roderich's fame reached far and wide and his songs even further.

"Please don't do this anymore, Rod," Gilbert approached his old friend one day. "This isn't you."

Roderich regarded the snowy haired man coolly. "This is the new me. Get used to it, traitor."

Gilbert was about to make a sharp retort when Giovanni ushered the gloomy Austrian away. He had become Roderich's event planner and manager in his fame. Roderich felt as if he was the last person he could trust. "Don't mind him, Roddy," he said. "I'll have security escort him out."

"I don't care."

"Right…okay, this hotel has scheduled a concert for tonight. Are you sure you will be okay doing it today? It's the one year anniversary of when she…"

Roderich sighed. "I am well aware. I will play. It's the only thing I can do right.

They were escorted to the room where lovely blue roses grew. Roderich stopped to stare at the delicate petals and long dangerous thorns.

"Roderich?" Giovanni stopped a few yards away.

"Go on. I want to think."

The older Italian shrugged. "Okay. But remember the concert starts in half an hour." Roderich waved him off.

The gloomy pianist plucked the rose from the bush. It reminded him of his despair. It was such a beautiful thing that hurt him when he held on. Blood ran down his skin where the thorns bit into his palm.

"You…" a hiss caught the pianist's ear.

A disheveled looking man with gravity defying hair stood a few yards away. His cobalt eyes were puffy and red. His clothes were rumpled and his body shook with coiled tension.

"Who are you?" Roderich asked the mad man coldly, miffed that his thoughts were interrupted.

Ignoring the question, the man bared his teeth. "Your '_music_' killed my brother. He started listening to your crap, then-then he committed suicide!" fat hot tears rolled down his already stained cheeks. "It's all your fault. It's your fault that Berwald is gone! All YOUR fault!"

Roderich didn't even flinch when the man drew out a scratched up revolver. "I will not take responsibility for what others do."

"Don't even try to pull that shit. He only stared having those thoughts after listening to your songs. He was happy before with Tino, but then…"

The wind dislodged some soft loose petals. Neither of the men moved for along moment. Roderich picked the stem off the rose he held. "If that is all, you can leave now, sir. I have a concert to attend-"

_**BANG**_

Roderich's body jerked backwards. His glasses clattered to the cobble stone path. All vision in his left eye was gone. The man with gravity defying hair watched as the brunette musician collapsed like a rag doll. He then screamed when a small child in a green sailor suit slipped onto the path from thin air.

Peter frowned at his failed Alice. _"You're not the one…"_ he lamented.

Roderich's dead eye faded from sky to the original dark blue. The gaping red hole on the other side of his face disturbed the Dream. He plucked the rose from the ground, now splattered in a sad but vibrant red, and placed it over his eye socket. The hot blood running down his face looked like red tears.

"I hope you can be happy where ever you are now."

Needless to say, Roderich couldn't play in the concert. After the hype died down, he was forgotten. The once popular and sought after musician was nothing more than a dim, dusty memory. The failed Second Alice was nothing but a sad, wilting rose.


	4. The Third Alice

Lili couldn't say she was unhappy with her life but she couldn't say she was happy either. She lived with her elder brother on a small farm near a pretty village that overlooked the caste. Ever since she was a little girl she had wanted to live in that castle. She wanted the easy life for her and her hardworking brother.

Vash was a jack of all trades. He was a handyman, hunter, farmer, and once a soldier. But for everything he did he was only paid enough to get by. They were luckier than most.

That is, until he traveled to a village in the north to help with a man who everyone thought had gone crazy. He came back with a broken arm and leg. He had been beaten with a pipe until he was on the brink of death. Since then their luck had gone down.

Vash recovered but the village found a replacement for him as he mended. They didn't need him. Tax collectors knocked on the farm house door every other day. Lili had to sell all their chickens and nearly every cow they owned.

But even with her rotten luck, Lili was content with her life by her brother's side.

"_You're lying." _

Lili snapped her head around. A little boy with blonde hair stood on a piano bench just inside a cottage. A green ace of clubs was twirling in his little fingers. Simple letters framed the picture at the center. She didn't recognize her surroundings. It was a strange village with dull eyed people.

"A-am I dreaming?"

"_Yep! You catch on quicker than the others."_ The boy grinned. _"I'm Peter!"_

"Hello, Peter." Lili curtsied daintily.

"_You're very charming, Miss." _

"Thank you,"

Peter jumped off the bench to let a man in a dark blue suit sit down. Wondrously upbeat music filled the air. The dull eyed people began to brighten up. They danced and sang and seemed to be happy.

"_Miss, you're lying to yourself. You aren't content. You want things to get better."_

"I do…but there isn't anything I could do."

"_Wrong!"_ Peter took Lili's warm hands. They twirled along with the villagers. _"Dream of me and Wonderland and I'll give you your luck back! Maybe then you and your brother could go someplace new and find good jobs." _

"H-how can that be?"

"_I'm magic!"_

Lili was passed to a large man with amaranthine eyes. "How?"

Peter smiled as he tried to twirl a beautiful woman with brunette hair. _"'Cause I am."_

Lili was dipped and as she laughed she saw no harm in just dreaming of this cheery place. "Alright. I'll dream of you even if what you say sounds silly."

Peter hugged the girl, _"Thank you, Miss Alice!"_

"But my name is not-"

"LILI!"

The girl jumped off the ground where she had been sleeping. She saw the farm house up the hill instead of Wonderland.

Vash was running towards her with his gun drawn. "Don't move."

Lili knew better than to go against her brother's orders; especially when his voice was that serious. However, she turned her head. A large snake was slithering down the tree behind her with bared, red eyes. By the markings on its body she recognized it as a very poisonous predator.

Vash's gun fired the moment the snake's jaw unhinged. The bullet ripped through the creature's head killing it instantly.

"Are you alright, Lili?" Vash asked as he pulled her to her feet. He winced as his once broken arm was strained.

"I'm okay," she replied shakily.

"What a lucky shot. That thing was about to lunge!"

Lili stared at the snake's corpse. She could have died. "Yeah…lucky."

"Where did you get that hat?"

Vash tapped the soft cloth that crowned his sister's head. Lili took it off to get a better look. It was a sailor cap of clover green felt. A little white ribbon hung off one end. It matched the one Peter had warn in her dream.

Days after Lili met with Peter, the handyman who had replaced Vash caught a nasty virus and was bedridden. Vash was needed again. An old farmer from a nearby village retired and was giving away his livestock. Lili got her cows and chickens back with the addition of a beautiful chestnut mare.

One day, Lili woke from Wonderland happier than usual. She felt like that day was luckier than others. She went to the village again with her brother and went into the music store.

A man in the back caught her eye instantly. He was listening to a sad song drifting softly from a phonograph.

"It sounds beautiful but so gloomy," Lili remarked.

The man smirked. His sharp eyes turned to the girl. "This is by Roderich Edelstein from a land not too far from here. All his songs were sad. This one is about death."

"Roderich…" Lili remembered the piano man from Wonderland. "Did he ever have happy songs?"

"Yes, but they never made it big."

"Oh…how disappointing. I'm scared of death. I try not to think about it so I can enjoy life."

The man turned fully around. He was tall and lean with a stiff posture and hair that had been styled so it stood on end. An old scar cut from his right temple to his eyebrow. Was he a soldier?

"Enjoy life, huh?" he seemed to think it over. "I haven't been enjoying mine for a while."

"I think it may be because you listen to this kind of music!" Lili jabbed a dainty finger at the record that still spilled out sorrowful, woeful chords. "Listen to something nice like those happy songs that never became popular."

The man cracked a smirk. It looked nice on him. "Quite brazen, aren't we?"

Lili smiled back. "I'm have a good day and I just want others to have one, too."

"You're quite charming miss. You could win over the entire kingdom if you smiled like that once more."

Just to play along, Lili smiled at the man brilliantly.

The man chuckled. "I like you. My name is Lars Van Dyk."

"I'm Lili Zwingli-wait! 'Van Dyk'?! Y-you're the prince!"

Lars smirked. "That I am. Say, would you like to be courted by royalty?"

Lili's face went red. "W-what?"

"You're so peppy and cute. Honestly, I haven't' been very interested in anything lately but you…you're different."

The girl fumbled with the edges of her white apron. Peter's hat id her face from view.

"What do you say, Lili?" Lars poked the hat so it slid away from her eyes.

"S-sure…"

"Thank you, Peter!" Lili hugged the little Dream tightly. "Magic is real! The most wonderful thing happened to me today!"

"_What?"_

"The_** Prince**_ wants to court _**me**_! Thank you so much!"

Peter smiled widely, happy that his magic-for once-seemed to be improving not only his life but the life of his Alice. Maybe Lili was his true Alice.

Despite being crabby about it at first (Lars was older than her by more than five years, but Vash just wanted to gripe about something), Vash agreed to let the prince see his sister. She was a woman, she could think on her own. After a good year of courting, the prince proposed to marry Lili. Leaving the farm house was hard for the Zwingli siblings but hey adjusted to the castle.

It was everything Lili had dreamed about. Beautiful architecture, gorgeous views, maids and manservants who waited on her hand and foot. She had everyone at her beck and call.

Lars treated her as his most precious and dear treasure. He gave her everything he could. Lili wanted more and more, however. Greed ate away at her. She didn't want to give up her throne as queen. She had worked too hard to get where she was.

Lars began to fear that she might take the role as sole queen too far. When she gave birth to their twin boys he ordered two of his most trusted men, Arthur and Francis, to hide them. He then told her they had died and he even had graves made for them.

Lili would look at the graves rarely. She pondered how easily one could lose life no matter how healthy one was. One could have the best doctors and medicine but still yield to the cold touch of the Grim Reaper.

"I don't want to die, Peter," Lili confessed to the Dream. "I don't know what's beyond this world. Do you know?"

Peter shook his head. _"No. but you won't die anytime soon, Mrs. Alice! You're still young and healthy." _

"How long have I been dreaming of you?"

"_A long time,"_ Peter kicked his legs

"Nearly seven years,"

Having no knowledge as to how long that was Peter asked. _"Is that very long in your world?"_

"Yes. Very, very long. I am not that young anymore."

Peter grabbed Lili's face. _"You're still young! I don't see any wrinkles."_

"But they'll form soon enough," Lili said morosely. She looked around the village that now had a fair amount of treasure littered everywhere. The buildings were taller and fancier and the people were well dressed. It had changed so much, but Peter hadn't aged a day.

"_Mrs. Alice?"_ Peter saw the spark in the woman's eyes. She wasn't' the same innocent girl. She wanted more and more. He knew she was going to ask something completely absurd.

"Peter," the queen stood to her full height. Her green dress glittered in wonderland's sun. The lucky four leaf clover she had about her regal, pale throat shone. "Use your magic to make me live forever-like you."

"_I can't do that. My magic is good magic, not bad magic."_

"I don't want to lose everything I have!"

Peter jumped when Lili disappeared. She had forced herself to leave Wonderland. No one had done that before.

Lars felt guilty that he hid their children form Lili, but he knew it was for the best. Lili began to research the occult. She had dark wizards come to the castle and ordered them to teach her about immortality. It was when he woke in the middle of the night to find his wife-his beloved queen- standing above him with a wicked dagger in her hand that he realized she wasn't the Lili he had fallen in love with.

Lili tricked everyone in the castle into thinking that an assassin had snuck into the royal bed room and killed King Lars Van Dyk. The autopsy revealed his heart had been removed.

In the dark of the night, the queen had drawn an intricate pattern on the floor boards. She lit candles and chanted words she had learned from the dark wizards and ate her husband's heart.

With all the magic in the air, Peter was able to step into the room. His eyes were wide and horrified. _"Y-you're not my Alice…"_

Lili paid no heed to him as he took the clover green hat back. She could feel her life lengthen in years. It was positively breathtaking. With this magic, all she had to do was eat hearts-the center of a human-to live longer with the face of a young woman.

Vash spotted Lili by the graves of her children and husband. She wore all green. Her lips were bulled back in a seemingly innocent smile.

"Lili, are you alright?"

"Yes, I am perfectly fine." The queen answered sweetly.

Vash shuddered. He sensed something wasn't right with his baby sister. "You have just lost your husband a week ago and you're 'fine'? Lili, when we lost our parents you cried for months. What's going on?"

"Things change." Lili turned to face her brother. Her big green eyes locked on him predatorily.

The older man stumbled back. His leg, the one that had been broken before, gave out at the sudden movement. He toppled into the springy, wet grass. In the rain, the green color seemed to glow a vibrant emerald hue.

"Is your leg hurting you, brother?" the queen approached slowly. Her hand dipped into the hidden pocket in her gorgeous gown. "I can help the pain go away if you do something for me. You'll help your little sister, the queen, right?"

"Lili, what are you…" Vash's muscles locked up upon seeing a wicked dagger emerge from the folds of his sister's dress. "Lili! Put that away!"

"You'll help me forever rule this country, right?"

"No! Get away from me! Lili, no!" Vash couldn't move. It felt as if his entire body was frozen.

The blood was washed away before the guards would reach the grave yard. Lili sat in the middle of a mystic design drawn in the mud, chomping on the last of her brother's heart. The guards couldn't do anything against their own queen. One: her royal status kept them bound as servants; Two: she was now known as a witch. Witches were not able to be killed so easily. Not when they ate human flesh.

Lili would forever rule over the strange country. In her rule, the capital city was filled with wizards, witches, and warlocks who all pledged their servitude to her.

Peter was sad that this Alice was also a failed one. When was he going to find his true Alice?


End file.
